Clover Graves
by I'mjustawriter
Summary: Asta is a young boy found wandering near the village of Hage and put into the local orphanage. There he meets an orphaned boy named Yuno. The two vow to rise in the ranks of the Hunter Guild and compete to see who will become the next "Blood Conqueror." There's only one small problem to this pact...
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Clover as it belongs to its respective owner. For entertainment purposes.**

* * *

 **Prologue**

Once upon a time when the world was still new,

There existed two Kings worshipped as Gods.

* * *

The first King was good and gracious.

He was known as the God of Mana and blessed the world with light.

He created a race of divine creatures with pieces of his radiance.

These graceful and wise beings would become known as the Fae.

* * *

The second King was wicked and vicious.

He was known as the God of Ki and cursed the world with darkness.

In his jealousy over the God of Mana, he created a race of monsters with shards of his shadow.

These twisted and tainted forms that would haunt the realm became known as the Fiends.

* * *

To prevent his malice from spreading further, the God of Mana declared war on the God of Ki.

The ensuing conflict would split the fragile realm at its seams.

As the land soaked in the blood, a third species came into creation.

These impure creatures of neither dark nor light would become known as the Mortals.

* * *

The war came to take the lives of many Fae and Fiends alike.

To prevent the world from being completely destroyed during their final clash,

The God of Mana separated both their bodies and souls in the heavens.

Their abandoned forms became the Sun and the Moon that gazed at the world below.

* * *

Yet the God of Ki's spirit could not rest and thus neither could the God of Mana's.

With most of their creatures destroyed, they turned to the Mortals to finish their plight.

Each chose a champion to gain their blessings via a pact of blood and soul.

Yet their forms could not fully adapt to either Kings' power.

* * *

As the champion of Ki, the Mortal was transformed into what would be known as a Devil.

They spread the God of Ki's will throughout the land and created Vampires with the last of his blood.

Under the tainted light of the Moon, their powers grew as they tormented the land.

They came to establish the Kingdom of Dusk with the champion as the Blood King.

* * *

As the champion of Mana, the Mortal was transformed into what would be known as an Angel.

They spread the God of Mana's will throughout the land and created Elves with the last of his blood.

Under the blessed light of the Sun, their powers grew as they protected the land.

They came to establish the Kingdom of Dawn with the champion as the Soul King.

* * *

The war waged on even as the two champions did not.

Despite their own blessings, their bodies could not last forever as they were still of Mortal creation.

Instead the Pact of the True Kings was passed to each champion's chosen descendant.

And so, the eternal war continued century by century, heir by heir.

* * *

Until in the era of Twilight, one of the Soul King's descendants finally accomplished their sacred task.

In the champions' final battle against one another, his last attack met its fatal mark.

With a thrust of his mighty sword, he stabbed the last Blood King's heir in the heart.

As the last drop of the wicked blood fell, the man became cemented in legend as:

"The Blood Conqueror"

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Please forgive all the lines in this as I was trying to make it a bit easier to read. Unfortunately, I have yet to learn how to make the word editor in Fanfiction accept double spacing without deleting the extra lines when I hit save.**


	2. Arc 1: Tender Beginnings - Part 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Clover as it belongs to its respective owner. For entertainment purposes.**

* * *

 **Tender Beginnings: An Ember of Truth**

In the haze between reality and dreams, where the mind drifts from the body, he stood floating in a void of nothing. Rather, it was as though he couldn't grasp the realm around him, that his brain couldn't process the reality before him. His senses were dull, decreasing every moment that passed, as the sensation that he was burning boiled through his veins, overtaking them one by one. Or perhaps it was the world that was ablaze around him, scorching him in its embrace as all began to turn to ash.

In the blur of his vision, he could detect a figure standing in front of him though he couldn't make out any features of the others. A small pang in his chest, like a silent whisper he couldn't quite hear, and an invisible tug bewitched him to try to move closer to them. Yet his body remained immobile in the inferno as the being remained an indistinguishable blur.

They made no move to approach him, and his heart beat faster in his chest as he struggled internally against whatever binding was holding him still. There was a stinging in his eyes as his vision swirled more, and, finally, the being approached him. He could sense it crouching to approach his level. A touch like a soft feather wiped at the corner of his eyes, at the tears that threatened to spill. Then in a hint of pressure, he could feel himself being surrounded by a warmth that drowned the blaze around him.

He didn't know when his body reacted to his call, but he ceased caring. With all the strength left in his arms, he tried to circle the gentle warmth and hold it close. A brush of phantom fingers carded through his hair as he attempted to bury himself in the being that surrounded him. In response to his actions, the warmth seemed to wrap around him tighter. In his ear, the whisper of words echoed softly as he strained to hear them before they faded from the world completely.

"I wish there was another way," They murmured to him as their hand swirled patterns in his hair, "But we've run out of time." He could feel a slight dampness dripping on top his head in a steady rain, which in turn made his own tears stream down his cheeks. "And now," They said as the words wrenched their way from their mouth, "We must part and say farewell."

"I hope you can forgive me one day," The being muttered as the warmth around him strengthened its hold, "For the fate so cruel that I've given you." He could feel the hitch in their breath as they whispered, "In this land, you will be reviled only as a wicked beast to slaughter." The hand ceased its movements, instead gripping the top of his head lightly. "In others," The voice added with a hint of pain in its words, "You will be revered only as a divine puppet to control." He could feel the figure begin to pull away. "For that reason," They spoke softly with a conviction soaked in tears that made their tone tremble, "The truth about you must remain hidden."

Though he could not see them, he could sense their gaze meeting his. "Promise me," They began before taking a shaking breath of air. "Even when my words become dust in your mind," The being started slowly as if to brand them in his mind, "And I am but a ghost of your memories…" The phantom fingers carded through his hair once more, gently in a sad caress. "Promise me," They continued in a soft plea, "That you will never reveal the truth about yourself."

He nodded as he failed to voice the words that melted away on his tongue. The warmth surrounded him tightly once more as more tears poured from his eyes. He could feel the softest press of flesh against his temple. "I pray for happiness and strength to bless you," They breathed, "Against the misery destiny will surely bring you."

The warmth disappeared as the figure pulled away completely. The heat that it had overshadowed returned with vengeance. He could feel himself being choked from its intensity as a dizziness overcame his mind as spots gathered in his vision. He tried to reach towards the figure, to find the warmth that chased the pain away. But the figure was already far away, flickering like a dying ember in the horizon of the vanishing world. As darkness claimed him, he saw for a single moment the glint of falling tears and the pained whispering of final words. And then he knew no more.

* * *

"From nothing, you were born."

"A fate you were bestowed."

"For in your veins, His blood does flow."

"And in your heart, His shadow does beat."

"But with this prayer, your destiny will slumber."

"And so,"

"Asta"

"To nothing, you shall return."

"Until the black clover blooms in the crimson light of the moon."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **As promised, here is my new story that I have been working on. Sorry, its so late! When I first wrote the beginning in August, I decided to scrap that version in the end and completely rewrite it. I also wanted to hammer down the outline for the next two arcs so I could get a flow for the story going. Add school plus life, and bam! Original schedule to post it disappears. I'm hoping, as I finish mid-terms this week, I'll be able to post the rest of the first arc this weekend, or at the very least, be able to edit and post most of the first arc this weekend. Since Halloween is around the corner and I love posting AU's around that date, I figured I'd post the prologue and part 1/4 for the first arc now so you'll have a preview of what to look forward to. Thank you for your patience and for reading! Hope you enjoy! :)**


	3. Arc 1: Tender Beginnings - Part 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Clover as it belongs to its respective owner. For entertainment purposes.**

 **Warning: This chapter does contain descriptions of a panic attack, so if this effects you, please read with caution.**

* * *

 **Tender Beginnings: The Innocence of Youth**

There was a flame beneath his skin that kept him from fully waking. The unbearable heat was only soothed by a softness upon his forehead that would come in cooling waves. In the few moments that the warmth would descend long enough for him to open his eyes, he'd catch glimpses of dark blue that would transform into a vivid midnight hue and chase after him in his dreams. A voice like honey sang to him in the void between flares of heat; their words always devoured by the fire before they could reach his ear. A voice like silk soothed him in the time consumed by periods of ice; their words growing clearer with each passing blizzard.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed when he was finally able to open his eyes fully, though his head still felt murky from the residual heat that remained and his body felt like it was being held by weights. Blinking to adjust to the bright light filling the room, he was mildly surprised to find himself tucked under plain covers in a bed. Looking around, he found himself in a small room with chipped walls and a single nightstand under a small window to keep the bed company. The creak of iron brought his attention to the only door in the room, wooden with bits of paint chipped from age.

A woman dressed in black cloth met his gaze with surprised teal irises as she stepped into the room. Whatever shock she had experienced, she smoothed it over as a happy expression crossed her face. Walking over, she placed the bowl and spoon she had been carrying on the nightstand and turned to him with a beaming smile that might have rivaled the sun. "Good morning," She greeted as her hands clasped together as if she was offering a slight prayer to the divine before continuing, "How are you feeling?"

Perhaps it was the joy in her eyes at seeing him that compelled him to answer the stranger before him or the fact her voice was as smooth as the one he heard in his dreams. Whatever the reason though, it didn't matter for, as he opened his mouth to answer her, his voice failed him. A few coughs shook his small form instead.

"That's okay," she soothed quickly as he opened his mouth to try again, "You're still recovering." She turned and sat herself on the edge of the bed as the frame groaned. She reached out her hand and gently pressed the back of it against his forehead. She held it there for a moment before pulling away. As if to reassure him, she cheerfully declared, "And your fever's down from yesterday, so you'll be better soon."

Folding her hands on her lap, she explained, "I need you to answer a few questions, but I can come back later when you're feeling a bit better." Somehow the thought that she would be leaving made his heart beat just a bit faster in his chest as the desire to not be alone filtered through the fog in his head. He tried to move, to reach for her wrist.

Gently, she held him down with a firm hand on his chest. With a sigh, her other hand rested on her chin for a moment as she closed her eyes in thought. "You really must rest," She murmured as she peeked one eye at him. Despite his physical weakness, his determination must have shone through his hazy eyes as she shook her head lightly. "Very well," she mused, "We can do questions now if that's what you want." He strained to hear her next words as she muttered under her breath faintly and pushed some of her dark blue bangs away from her eyes, "I can see you won't rest until we do."

Returning her hands to her lap, she met his gaze and asked softly, "For now, how about you use your head to answer?" He furrowed his brow slightly in response. Smiling with a bit of mirth in her eyes, she nodded her head and said, "Yes," before shaking her head lightly and saying, "No." At the demonstrations, his mind processed her meaning as he slowly nodded 'yes' in return.

"Let's start with an easy one," she said as she placed a hand on her chest in introduction, "My name is Sister Lily." Gesturing to him and pointing lightly at his chest, she asked, "Is your name 'Asta'?"

He blinked and tried to pull at his shirt, but his fingers felt too heavy to move properly. Instead, he mulled 'Asta' in his head slowly. It felt...right, that it belonged to him even if it seemed as though it was only one piece of a puzzle he had yet to grasp. And so, he nodded.

"Do you know how old you are?"

 _*shake*_

"Do you know where you are?"

 _*shake*_

"Do you remember the past few days?"

 _*shake*_

Her smile had tightened ever so slightly with each shake of his head. "Do you know a man with red hair?" She asked as she searched his eyes for any sign of recognition. His head pounded with a migraine that he couldn't tell if it had always been there or that her question had caused it. Either way, no answers popped into his mind. So he shook his head.

Reaching into a pouch at her side, she brought out a small, black flask. Holding it out to him, she asked next, "Do you recognize this bottle?" Asta gazed at the featureless, smooth glass. And again, he shook his head.

Placing a hand on her cheek, Sister Lily murmured an "Oh, dear" before putting the flask on the nightstand. In another attempt at reassuring him, she quickly said, "I'm sure it's just because of the fever." Clapping her hands together, she added with a joy that seemed forced, "I'm sure they'll come back to you eventually." For some odd reason or another Asta couldn't explain, her words made his chest tighten slightly.

Noting the displeasure on his features, she said to him somewhat hastily, "I can answer a few of those questions then." She gestured around the room, to the window he could barely see from his position on the bed. "You've been here in the town of Hage's Church for the past couple of days," She explained, "Lying sick with a cold." She paused once more as she seemed lost in thought for a moment before shaking herself out of her stupor. "Thanks to a kind... peddler," she finished with a slight hesitation, "We were able to get some medicine for you."

She picked up the flask on the nightstand once more as she uncorked the top. A sweet yet metallic scent filled the air as his mouth watered ever so slightly at it. Mistaking the wrinkle of his nose for disgust, her mouth once more turned sympathetic. "I know it doesn't smell the best," she apologized as she grabbed the spoon she had brought. Pouring a dosage into the utensil, she held it out and said, "But I must admit that it has been like a miracle for you."

He stared at the spoon for a moment before opening his mouth obediently and swallowing the liquid. It tasted as it smelled, sweet with hints of a metallic tang, and thick like syrup. His body warmed slightly as it slid down his throat, as if that small spoonful was filling him with strength. A sense of calm washed over him as his eyes slid shut, and he savored the leftover taste in his mouth.

Once more, she must have misunderstood his reaction, or perhaps she thought he was trying to save face. She reached over and tussled his hair lightly with her hand. "I know that mustn't have tasted very good," She murmured gently as he blinked sleepily at her, "But you were very brave." Not wanting to lose the praise he just received, he didn't correct her.

She reached over to the bowl, and as she brought it closer, he could see a damp cloth in it. Wringing the towel out, she folded it into a small rectangle and placed it on his forehead. The coolness was heavenly, and his eyes fluttered shut in relief again. He felt her move off the bed and heard her shuffle slightly to the nightstand.

Feeling her rustle his hair once more, he heard Sister Lily whisper, "We'll talk more when you wake up." Then she re-tucked him in and said, "Dream sweet dreams, Asta." And by the time she had left the room, he was.

* * *

The next time Asta awoke, the room was bathed in a silvery light coming from the window. To his delight, his limbs no longer felt as though they were made of lead. His head was still foggy but not nearly as murky as it had been before. Testing the waters, he sat up and let the towel fall into his lap with a slight plop. When no headache or trembling limb threatened him, he deemed his recovery a success. He wiggled a bit as he untangled himself from the bedsheet that must have wrapped itself around him in his sleep.

Moving a bit too close to the edge, he fell off the bed with a startled _yelp_. It was only by the grace of having one ankle still caught in the cloth that he didn't land face first. Instead, he dangled for a moment above the ground with his arms drooping by his side and the blood rushing slightly to his head. Then his weight freed his captured ankle as he instinctively tumbled with his momentum to the floor and rolled. If anyone heard his struggling, there was no indication as both the room around him and the area outside of the door remained silent.

When the world stopped spinning, he found himself in the middle of the room where the moonlight bathed it. It was too quiet, and the air was too still. He glanced at the door. If he opened it, would he find Sister Lily? It was better than nothing, better than being alone. As he stood up though, the thought left his mind as soon as it had entered it.

Beyond the window pane, standing out against the gray shadows of night, was a large, red blur. Perhaps it was what Sister Lily had said or because some invisible force was compelling him to, but the impulse to check the window was undeniable and he obeyed it without another thought.

Asta scrambled to the nightstand and climbed onto it, even as it wobbled worriedly under his weight. Rubbing his eyes, the red blur transformed into the form of a blood-red fox standing just beyond the yard of the Church in the tree-line of a forest. Almost as though it sensed his presence, the fox stood still and gazed back towards the direction of Asta. His mind raced as a small pang echoed in his chest, followed by a tugging sensation begging him to follow the fox. He pressed closer to the glass as if to will his being through it.

Perhaps he desired it too much as the frame gave way to his weight. The window parted as he fell forward without an ankle to catch him this time. His face met the dirt with a loud _thump_ before twisting on his back. Sitting up, he rubbed at his forehead with a wince.

As he turned his attention back to the fox, he was surprised to see it was already in the middle of the yard. Though strangely, it seemed smaller the closer it had come and stopped a few feet away from him. He could feel its blue eyes observe him heavily in the same manner as he was observing it. While he wasn't sure what it was looking for, Asta's attention spurred not to its unusual coloring but to the old scars he could see scattered across its muzzle and neck. Something pulled at him from the back of his mind.

By then the fox had noticed Asta's staring. It twitched its ear and broke out of whatever trance it had placed upon itself. Then its ears flattened slightly as an expression that could almost be described as a scowl crossed its features. It waited until the two of them had met gazes before very pointedly looking at Asta and then back at the Church. A moment passed before, it repeated the gesture. Upon receiving nothing but a confused expression back each time, the fox shook its head with what could be the cross between a grumble and a growl. As it turned to go back into the woods, Asta could see the same type of scars upon its hind legs.

Before it could completely disappear into the tree-line, Asta shook off his stupor from both the fall and the encounter. Not noticing as a "Wait!" left his mouth, he scrambled to his feet. The fox twitched at his yelp, looked behind its shoulder, and then darted into the forest. Asta took off after it, pushing away the leaves and underbrush that got in his way. He ignored the rocks and twigs that scratched at him as he kept his sights on the crimson blur in the distance. Using only the light of the moon as his guide, he followed clumsily.

He wasn't sure how long the two of them ran. He was just sure when the two of them stopped as they burst into a clearing. And it was only then that Asta fell to the ground as his legs gave out. Panting as his heart felt that it might burst with how fast it was beating, he raised his head to find the fox staring back at him. It might have been his imagination, but for a split second, it was almost as if it had winced at the sight of him.

Asta rolled onto his back as he heaved with the effort of getting air into his body. As he laid among the grass and clover, gazing at the moon directly overhead, he could see from the corner of his eye that the fox was now surveying the clearing around them. Slowly as though to keep Asta in its sights, it moved to rummage in a bush nearby.

He could still hear it rustling when something dense fell on his face and a foul odor filled his nose. Eyes watering, he launched himself up with a yelp and batted at his face with whatever strength his arms still held. In his panic, he could see the rainbow glimmer of a large beetle flying away. As his gaze returned to where he had been laying, the fox stood nearby with a large branch held loosely in its muzzle. Even with its mouth full of wood, he could still tell it was smirking at him with its head shaking ever so slightly with what could have been laughter. He glared at the creature accusingly, but it only lasted a moment as his legs stopped supporting his weight once more. The mirth in the fox only seemed to increase.

He watched as the fox set the branch down on the ground in front of him and held it with one of its front paws. Snapping a twig off with its mouth, a sweet aroma filled the air around them. It held the twig out to him, with the small branch glistening with tiny, red beads of berries scattered about it. Something in Asta's gut began to tear at him.

He licked his lips, almost pricking his tongue on a sharp tooth. Holding out a trembling hand, the fox proceeded to drop it in his palm. Immediately he stuck the twig in his mouth with the instinctive intention to swallow it whole. And just as quickly, he felt the creature whack him in the back of his head with its foot, forcing him to spit the small branch out. It landed near the fox's feet, and the creature's expression hid no disgust it felt about the action as it kicked the twig away. It returned to the original branch it had scavenged and broke another small branch off before returning to him. The fox's ear twitched at him as if to ask if Asta was going to attempt that again.

Slowly, Asta shakily sat up and held out his palm. The fox dropped the small branch into his hand once more and watched intently as Asta forced himself to pick the berries off the twig rather than consuming the entire thing at once. A sweet and metallic tang filled his mouth much like the medicine Sister Lily had given him, and, while it appeased the hunger in his veins, it didn't give him the same warmth as the treatment had earlier.

The two of them continued in this strange fashion until the original branch was bare. Asta rolled onto his back and patted his stomach as he closed his eyes. While Asta didn't feel _full_ , he felt better than he had when he had collapsed in the clearing. Maybe that was the intent.

Beside him, he could hear the fox make a sound almost like a snort of disbelief. At his behavior or the situation in general, Asta didn't know. But after a few moments of silence, Asta could sense the fox settle down, not next to him but nearby enough that he could feel the heat radiate from its fur. Exhaustion settled in his bones, and with the creature's warmth beside him, his mind began to slow and drift. Just before he fell asleep, he thought he heard the rough murmur of a man's voice echo briefly in a tone that was the mix between exasperation and disbelief with the smallest hint of care:

"You're going to be the death of me, brat."

* * *

When Sister Lily had awoken him in the late afternoon to check on his temperature and give him a dosage of medicine, Asta had thought the encounter to be a dream. Him feeling better certainly was not, as Sister Lily proclaimed that his medicine really was a miracle. But when he heard her mutter to herself and ponder on whether she had left the window open or not, he had become convinced the rest of the night had been reality as well. Opening his eyes fully, he turned towards the window to find a few red berries on its outer edge that cemented his belief.

And now, in the hours just before dusk, he found himself clutching Sister Lily's hand with his own as the two of them slowly made their way about the market place of Hage. Though the cobblestone road and stone buildings impressed him along with the assortment of booths selling everything from food to books to weapons, a sense of unease settled in his gut the longer they spent in the plaza. While he wasn't sure why, he found himself clinging ever tighter to Sister Lily's hand when they passed the other patrons. Though it could have been the stares the two of them were receiving from the townspeople around them. Whispers here and there reached his ears, sometimes arriving in full sentences.

 _"Just showed up out of nowhere-"_

 _"He's so pale."_

 _"-Don't suppose you think he's-"_

 _"No, his hair's too light - "_

 _"Those green eyes -"_

 _"-but seems small to be -"_

 _"-Something feral about him."_

 _"No wonder he's abandoned."_

And so on, and so forth. Every time a particularly cruel gossip reached the two of them, Sister Lily would grip her list a bit tighter in her other hand and walk slightly faster. Then she would look down at him and say with a forced smile and cheer, "You're becoming quite the celebrity, Asta." Yet there was always something sad in her eyes that stopped Asta from fully believing her words. And it was that sadness that made his chest tighten the worse.

Determined to wipe it from her gaze, Asta had started to fake interest in the stalls around them. Yet it turned into real excitement as he pulled on her hand as they passed a stall full of fresh fruits and vegetables. The colorful display immediately capturing his full attention, and he couldn't help but ramble about how pretty they were or how much there was.

"Ah," Sister Lily said with another tight smile as she let go of his hand to fiddle with the pouch at her side, "Those are nice, Asta." But her tone said the opposite as she looked at her list, the pouch, and then back to the stall. He could hear her muttering to herself about the prices and maybe if she bought less of a few of the things on their list, they might -

Asta directed his gaze towards the shop keeper and was surprised to find the owner already staring at him with distain. Not liking that look, he quickly turned his head and set his sights on another booth. Tugging at Sister Lily's dress nearly frantically to fake excitement, he pointed at the new stall and exclaimed, "Sister Lily! Look at that!" Then he grabbed on to her wrist, pulling her to the stall as she let out a surprised yelp before giving the shop keeper a rushed "Thank you!" and "Maybe next time!"

Yet the other booth was the same as the last one, and the one after that...Over and over until the sun was near setting and Sister Lily had only a small bag hanging from her wrist.

They were at the last stall Sister Lily was willing to visit, and while she was trying to pick out potatoes for them to buy, he could tell she was watching him kick a loose pebble from the corner of her eye. "Asta," She called out with a smile that was more honest than the others as she held out two potatoes, "Which one do you think is better?" Ignoring the gaze of the shop keeper, Asta picked up each potato one at a time and examined them fully before returning them to Sister Lily.

"The one on the left," Asta exclaimed as he pointed at the fatter potato. Sister Lily nodded happily in agreement. She turned to return the right potato to the stall, only to be stopped by the store keeper.

"You touch it," The owner exclaimed with a rough tone to his voice, keeping his eyes on Asta the whole time, "You buy it." Asta opened his mouth, patience snapping at that remark, but Sister Lily quickly shifted the potatoes into the crook of her elbow and covered Asta's mouth with her free hand.

"Of course," She said sweetly as she removed her hand from Asta when she was sure he wasn't going to blurt something out. Instead he pouted as she counted out the extra coins to the shop keeper and put the potatoes in her bag. As she reached for his hand to tug him away from the booth, Asta swung his head around and stuck his tongue out at the shop keeper before scrambling back to Sister Lily's side. Though he could tell she wanted to reprehend him for his action, he was surprised that she actually let it slide. "We only have to stop by the teleportation runes now," She instead announced happily as she put her list into her pouch and shuffled the bag slightly.

"Why?"

"Father Ofai's coming back tonight," Sister Lily explained, "He's the priest to the Church." As her eyes surveyed the townspeople around them, she tilted her head down towards Asta and whispered softly, "Don't worry. He's a much kinder man." At those words, Asta got a little more enthusiastic as they rounded the corner out of the market and down a quieter street towards one of the exits of Hage.

Sister Lily let go of Asta's hand and let him walk beside her as she took the bag in both arms. Asta couldn't help but make note that a few of the townspeople they were passing by either had hunting bows strapped across their backs or swords strapped to the side of their hips. Asta turned his attention back to Sister Lily when he heard the slight crunch of the bag as she tightened her grip whenever they passed one. And Asta could always feel the weight of the person's gaze on both of them as they did.

Finally the two of them approached a large ring of standing stones just outside of the entrance of Hage. Asta, in his eagerness to both get out of Hage and to examine the structure, ran ahead and stretched his neck to try to peek at all the engravings of letters he couldn't understand. He saw Sister Lily smile at his antics from the corner of his eyes and watched as she spoke to a man outside of the ring, near the largest pillar in the center, dressed in a tan cloak that covered most of his body with what looked like the emblem of a purple fish sewn on the right shoulder. He nodded and pressed his hand against the stone.

Asta watched in amazement as the runes on the stones lit up. Then lines of light began to sprout from each stone, crisscrossing each other inside the circle. The light grew into a circle in the middle, and letters from the stone seemed to lift off the rocks to orbit the glowing sphere. Though Asta wanted to watch more, Sister Lily covered his eyes with her hand and he heard her exclaim, "Careful!" And then it was over. The light that leaked between her fingers was gone and he could hear signs of something or someone being in the ring.

Taking her hand off his eyes, but holding it lightly, Asta was amazed to see a man, wearing the same type of black cloth as the woman beside him, standing in the center of the runes where the light had presumably vanished. Sister Lily was now the one tugging Asta forward as the two of them went to approach him. Yet some rustling behind the man stopped Asta in his tracks as they drew near.

A small tuff of messy, black hair peeked out from behind his robe along with an amber eye. As soon as the eye met Asta, it disappeared behind the man, and faintly he could hear sniffling. Sister Lily let go of Asta's hand as she shifted the bag in her arms once more.

"Father Ofai," She greeted as she smiled more genuinely than all the time they had been out, "How was your trip?"

"As well as expected," He answered as he ran a hand through dark brown hair that was turning gray at the edges. He moved his gaze to Asta, and, for a second, Asta wanted to freeze but he forced himself to meet the older man's eyes. The priest smiled, and something in Asta lightened. "You must be Asta," He greeted as he crouched to meet his eye level and tussled his hair. Whoever was behind him startled.

Standing up, Father Ofai moved out of the way to show his own companion, and Asta got a better look of the boy in the black long-sleeve shirt and brown pants. "This is Yuno," he introduced as the boy looked at Sister Lily and Asta with unfiltered fear in his eyes. One of his hands clasped something around his neck so hard that Asta could see his knuckles were white. As soon as Yuno registered that his protector had moved, a few tears slipped from his eyes and he launched himself back behind Father Ofai. Asta heard the priest sigh at the action, but his eyes showed nothing but pity and understanding.

"I've already told you about his situation," Father Ofai addressed Sister Lily, who nodded in response, "And about what Drouot can gather about the event." His hand ran through his hair again. "It took me a few days just to convince the boy to talk to me," He sighed once more. Then remembering he had a young audience, he directed his attention to Asta and gave a slightly strained smile as he said, "You'll have to be patient with him, okay?" He paused before adding, "He's been through a lot."

Father Ofai turned around and crouched down to Yuno's height as Sister Lily took Asta's hand once more. Asta could hear the murmuring of words from Father Ofai but couldn't make them out fully only catching bits of "I promise-" and "-Nothing's going to-" and "- Safe." Then Father Ofai gathered the other boy in his arms, grunting as he stood. Loudly, the priest announced, "Let's go home."

As Asta walked behind him by the side of Sister Lily, he watched as Yuno ever so slightly peeked his head from Father Ofai's shoulder. Their gazes met, and Asta tried smiling at the other. Yuno visibly stiffened before burying his face back against the priest's. Asta blinked and looked up at Sister Lily. She said nothing but gave him a sad smile and shook her head.

* * *

That night, the four of them sat around a rickety table in the room just to the left of the chapel. While it was supposed to be the four of them anyway. Yuno had taken to hiding under the table with his hands pressed against both his ears and eyes squeezed shut tight while both Father Ofai and Sister Lily exchanged looks above.

Sister Lily placed the plate of baked potatoes she had carried from the kitchen that was to the left of the dining room on the table beside the basket of bread. She smiled and clapped her hands together, no doubt trying to distract Asta from peeking under the table at the other boy. "You're in for a treat," She announced happily, "As I made potato pudding for dessert today." She smiled as she sat down next to Asta. "As a welcome to both you and Yuno to the Church," She added as she put together a plate of two bread slices and half a potato. Passing the plate to Asta, she finished with a stern, "But you have to finish your dinner first."

Asta nodded as he shoved a piece of bread in his mouth. And though it felt like he was chewing on a rock and was eating ash, he still beamed at her and said, "Your cooking is amazing!" From across the table, Father Ofai chuckled.

"I made that."

Cheeks burning with the heat of embarrassment, Asta amended, "Well, her cooking's still amazing." He then shoved a mouthful of potato into his face to prove his point and chewed vigorously. The taste was dry and plain, but, for the sake of Sister Lily, he smiled through his displeasure and roughly swallowed. As he ate another mouthful, he saw Sister Lily shake her head lightly at his actions before leaning over and cutting the potato into smaller bites.

As she did so, Asta peered down at the only silent member of their dinner party. Yuno had stopped curling in on himself and was now looking at the stone that was around his neck, holding it in the palm of his hand. More tears slid down his cheeks as he continued to gaze at the blue pendent. Leaning down a little closer, Asta could see the markings of a golden cross with four pointed-star corners on the front of the stone.

Unfortunately, his shifting had alerted Yuno who snapped his head towards him with a startled gasp. The other slammed backwards wildly, hitting the chair behind him and knocking it over. The pure panic that raced across his face had Asta feeling unsettled as Yuno scrambled out from under the table and darted for the door that led to the hallway behind the chapel.

He made it through as both Father Ofai and Sister Lily were too slow in their reactions to catch him. Both adults turned to Asta and said, "Wait here," before rushing out the door after Yuno. Asta's chest tightened as he turned his gaze back to his plate. After a moment of hesitation, he pushed it aside and set off after everyone. As he moved to open the door, a spot of scarlet caught his attention as a faint metallic scent drifted to his nose.

He blinked as he caught himself nearly biting his tongue. For some reason, his stomach ached. He looked back towards his dinner. Perhaps he should finish it before helping search for Yuno. He then shook his head and forced himself to clear the cobwebs that were forming in his mind. There were more important things to worry about than food.

Yet he could still smell that faint scent, and he found himself following it. Despite the fact he could hear Sister Lily and Father Ofai calling for the missing boy near the living quarters of the Church, he found himself wandering the opposite way and into the chapel.

It was eerily silent in a place that was supposed to represent the divine, even if it didn't look like it. As he gazed among the worn, wooden pews, the metallic scent grew stronger as he drew close to the altar. For a second, he gazed at the carved figure of a saintly being battling a creature that could only be described as a monster with its horns and warped form. Something in twitched his chest, but he couldn't identify the emotion stewing inside of him.

Instead he walked around it, and he saw near the slight crack between the back wall and the monument was Yuno. Asta could swear he could hear the other's heart as it beat frantically, and he made no indication that he was aware of Asta's presence. He was too busy struggling in desperation to fit in between the two, but all he was succeeding in doing was pressing himself against the altar's side.

As Yuno continued to scramble, Asta could see the other had cut his palm somewhere between his dash from the table to here. Asta furrowed his brow as something heavy settled in his gut. At first, it felt a lot like hunger, but when he looked at Yuno's tear-soaked face, it felt a lot like guilt. Remembering Father Ofai's words to be patient, Asta approached the other as slowly and softly as he could. Which, in all honesty, wasn't that well.

Yuno snapped his head towards Asta immediately when he moved. His amber eyes widened more as he looked for an escape route, but the only way out was past Asta. Yuno trembled as he curled in on himself, and Asta could hear the other murmur to himself over and over, "No, no, no," as despair seemed to settle in him more and more with each word.

Asta's mind froze as he tried to think of what to do. On an impulse, Asta darted to the other and wrapped his arms around him. Which was a bad move as Yuno thrashed against him in response. But Asta stayed strong despite the bruises he would no doubt be receiving.

Finally, Yuno slowed as his breath left him in quick puffs. For a second, he was still, and Asta feared he might have died. Sliding his hand a little up the other's back, Asta felt a small bit of relief from the rapid beating of Yuno's heart through his hand. To his surprise next, he felt arms wrap around him and squeeze him with all their might as Yuno buried himself against Asta, pressing his face against his chest.

It was Asta's turn to panic as he struggled to figure out how to comfort the other. He moved his hand up and down Yuno's back again and felt the other shudder slightly before curling up against Asta. Taking that as a good sign or any sign at all, Asta shifted so his back was being supported by the altar's side behind him and continued the motion.

It was when the other's breathing had calmed down enough to say Yuno wasn't on the verge of passing out that, Asta could once again understand the other's murmuring. Somewhat. "Gone," and "Hurts," and "Red, red, red," seemed to be his favorite phrases.

Something in his mind clicked, and Asta followed the impulse again. Lightly he pushed Yuno back enough that he could look into the other's face. To his relief, the boy didn't immediately take that as a sign to dash, though his glazed expression didn't say that he was entirely with Asta either. Slowly Asta took Yuno's right arm and unwove it from behind his back. Then he guided Yuno's hand to his heart and pressed the other's palm against it. Yuno's expression flickered, and Asta continued before the other could react. He placed his left hand against Yuno's frantic heart.

"You're alive," Asta stated, "And I'm alive. We're still here." He wasn't sure what possessed him to say it, but he was sure someone had said it to him once. Though he felt like he was missing the last half of the message. Pushing his own thoughts aside, he watched as Yuno slowly blinked and registered his words. Yuno shifted his gaze from his hand on Asta's chest to Asta's face. His eyes were still red from his tears, but they seemed to be getting clearer with each second.

"Alive," Yuno mumbled as if in disbelief, and he drew in a shaky breath. Asta frowned slightly and pulled the other back into his arms. Only this time, Asta had turned Yuno so that his ear was pressed against Asta's chest where his heart would beat. The other had let him do as he pleased, seemingly exhausted whatever energy he had left. Then Asta wrapped his arms back around Yuno and rubbed his back once more as the other clung to his shirt.

As they settled back down, Asta began to ramble if only so there would be some noise between them. He told Yuno about the market place, about all the food and trinkets he had seen, and about the people he had passed. When he ran out of things to say, he spoke about previous night he followed the fox into the forest and through the trees. And when that tale was done, he told him about a world of ash he saw once in something that was no more than a distant dream now.

He yawned as he finished his latest exploit and glanced down at his quiet companion. He smiled softly as he realized the other had fallen asleep some time between all his stories Tightening his grip on the other slightly, Asta settled down himself to follow suit.

* * *

Asta stirred when he heard the muted sounds of Sister Lily and Father Ofai. He became aware of a weight on his chest, and Asta glanced down to see Yuno still clinging to him with his ear over his heart. Looking around, he saw he was in the room he had been living in apparently for the past few days. The silver light of the moon shone through the window, but there was another light coming from beyond the door.

 _"It's a surprise that Yuno took to Asta so quickly."_

 _"I'd complain that it was maybe too quick, but honestly, I think that's the first time that child has fallen asleep since it happened."_

 _"I can't blame him. I mean his entire village...Did Drouot say who did it?"_

 _"There's no solid evidence to point to a specific clan, and, when Yuno was first found, he could barely function let alone say who did it. Even now, I don't think he can quite come to terms with it."_

 _"How awful…"_

 _"Plus, with the way things are as of late with the Fae and the Fiends, it could have been anything. Though, he suspects vampires judging from the...well...you know."_

 _"And I wish with all my heart that I did not."_

 _"Worst part is that no one knows what provoked them. Rumor is those beasts have been hunting for something for a while now. Until we figure out what, any place can be a target."_

Their voices disappeared into the night as they left to finish their conversation, taking the other light with them. Asta tilted his head down towards Yuno and was surprised to see the other was awake and watching the door as well. Most likely from feeling him twitch, Yuno looked up at Asta and then buried his face in his chest, making sure he could still hear Asta's heartbeat all the same. "Still alive," He heard the other mutter against him. Clutching his shirt tighter, Yuno continued, "Still here."

Asta wrapped his arm around the other in response. His mouth opened as the end of that phrase appeared in his mind. He whispered back to Yuno:

"And we won't give up."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I should have the last two parts to this Arc done by next weekend if time with school is permitting. If not, then definitely part 3 for sure.**

 **Thank you for everyone who been reading and following this story so far :)**

 **I enjoy all your lovely comments as well!**

 **I hope you all continue to enjoy it despite the wait.**

 **To the guest:**

 **You asked me in terms of the main relationship for this story what I think. To be honest, I'm not sure what those terms you used mean, but I'll try my best to answer. When I think/write relationships, I aim for equal partnerships where the relationship is built on trust and bringing out the best in the other. Or in other words, neither person holds the most power over the other, and they support one another through the hardships and difficulties that come along with being in any relationship.**

 **In this case, this story is going slow burn, so I want to take my time establishing their bond before I get to the romance part of their relationship. In the case of my other work, Become a Magical Knight, it can be argued that the relationship was healthy at the start before all the timelines. But after going through all the timelines over and over, the relationship became tragic for the both of them. If I write an epilogue for that universe via short stories, I'd probably work on rebuilding that relationship in a way that healthier for both of them.**

 **I hope that helps answer your question a bit. Feel free to ask me anything else you're curious about!**


	4. Arc 1: Tender Beginnings - Part 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Clover as it belongs to its respective owner. For entertainment purposes.**

 **Warning: This chapter does contain descriptions of a panic attack as well as some imagery some might find graphic, so if this effects you, please read with caution.**

* * *

 **Tender Beginnings: A Bleeding Heart**

 _The sounds of terrified shrieks resounded behind him, and Yuno begged his legs to run faster to escape them. Even with his heartbeat pounding loudly in his ears, they still pierced through and echoed in his mind. The overpowering metallic scent of blood filled the air, and with each panicked breath he took, the more it filled his lungs. It was like being strangled from the inside. But no matter how far he ran, he couldn't escape the screams nor the blood._

 _His feet connected with something in front of him, and he was sent crashing to the ground with a sickening splash following shortly after. A gasp left his mouth, and what little air he had left was forced from his form in the impact. Though his body screamed for rest, he couldn't stay down. He couldn't. If he did…If he did…_

 _The cries of anguish spoke of what awaited him if he remained here. Mustering the determination to continue moving, he shakily rose his drenched form for a single moment. Then his legs collapsed under his weight, and he fell back to the ground. He had to keep going. He had to._

 _One of his trembling hands burrowed into the soft dirt ahead of him. He tried to ignore the way it slid through his fingers like ooze. He dug into it with all his might until he created enough of a grip to pull himself forward, just a tiny bit. His other hand soon joined in the effort as he dragged himself ahead at the cost of his aching fingers._

 _But it was too late. Always too late._

 _He found himself truly choking as a heavy pressure slammed onto his back. He sputtered a few coughs as the weight lessened ever so slightly. Any thought of attempting to remove the pressure himself was extinguished as quickly as it came. His body had finally given up and left him with not even an ounce of strength to twitch. His eyes burned as a few tears slipped down his cheeks. This was it. This was the end._

* * *

Yuno jolted with a start as he fought to catch his breath, but it was hard when everything was still dyed red from his dreams and the faintest metallic scent still lingered in his nose. Through the ringing in his mind, a distant _ba-dum_ was echoing. Snapping his eyes shut, he tried to focus on the sound. Beneath him was familiar, calm heartbeat, and he could feel the steady rise and fall of the other's chest while snores filled the air above him. Matching the pace, Yuno forced himself to regulate his own breathing as he continued to listen to the beat playing in his ear. In and out. Like he had been taught to.

Gradually, with each soothing beat that passed, the vice-grip his chest was in lessened until it no longer felt like he was fighting for air. His stiff fingers uncurled themselves ever slightly from the fabric and the metal chain they had coiled around. Blinking, the room shifted in hue from red to orange to the golden glow of dawn. It still remained fuzzy in appearance, and the stinging in his eyes told him that he had unknowingly been crying either while he had been sleeping or when he had awakened. Possibly both.

Shakily, he shifted his elbow slightly to wipe his eyes since his fingers refused to fully detach themselves from the anchors holding him to reality. His eyes blinked once more as they adjusted back to the world around them. He shifted his gaze around the bed to see if his actions had disturbed anyone, and, thankfully, it didn't appear to be the case this morning.

Nash remained sprawled out to Yuno's left with the child's tuffs of brown locks looking tussled from the night. Looking behind his shoulder, he could see Recca curled near his side as she faced him. A small pit of guilt formed in his stomach when he saw that she had attempted to bury her curly, red hair under the pillows. Though at the same time, another part of him was grateful. He could barely handle seeing the color on the best of mornings. Glancing above him, he could tell from the smoothed jawline that Asta had not woken up when Yuno had…awakened.

Satisfied with his assessment, he settled his head back down over Asta's heart and listened once more to its beat while most of his tension melted away. Judging by the light shining through the window, Sister Lily and Father Ofai would be waking soon themselves and come collect the children for their morning routines. He might as well stay up.

* * *

"Asta," Sister Lily admonished, "Chew your food before you swallow."

Said boy had replied with something, but the food in his mouth made it impossible for Yuno to decipher what the other had said. Father Ofai shook his head in response and seemed to mutter a prayer at the ceiling. His attention returned to reading whatever papers were before him. Nash pointed at Asta and babbled while Sister Lily sighed as she cleaned the remainder of breakfast from his face with a small cloth. Recca rolled her eyes as she continued to eat her own potato pancakes.

Yuno picked at his meal lightly. His nose twitched, and he swear he could detect the faintest scent of blood as it did. His stomach turned, and Yuno pushed the plate of food away from him slightly. The small _scrape_ of the plate across the table caught the interest of bright, green eyes. Asta had opened up his daily vial of medicine and quickly finished drinking it before turning to Yuno.

"Aren't you going to finish your pancakes?" Asta asked in that echoing voice of his that never failed to attract the attention of all who heard it. Sister Lily glanced over as she paused in tidying up Nash. Father Ofai had also looked up from his papers with his brows furrowing together. Unconsciously, Yuno's fingers grasped his necklace's chain as he shifted slightly at the amount of eyes now on him.

"Yuno," Sister Lily said softly while her teal eyes clouded slightly in concern, "You've hardly touched your food." Yuno turned his head away from his audience as he pushed the plate further away from him. He shook his head.

"I'm not hungry."

Father Ofai and Sister Lily opened their mouths to no doubt argue that he should eat, but before they could, the other two children had decided the food's fate. Asta and Recca divided up the pancakes between the two of them and quickly devoured them. Father Ofai frowned at the two while Asta retorted, "He said he wasn't hungry!"

"You need to learn to be patient," Father Ofai scolded before addressing the children, "That's extra chores for you two." Recca groaned while Asta huffed indignantly. "I have to report to the Hunter's Guild today," The priest continued as he pointed at Asta, "Which means you have to help on firewood and grocery duty." Switching his finger to Recca, he finished, "And you have to tend to the garden and help Sister Lily with Nash." When the two started to protest, he gave them a raised eyebrow that asked if they wanted to add more tasks to their day. They wisely shut their mouths.

Sister Lily turned to Yuno. "Are you feeling okay?" She asked as she touched his forehead lightly with the back of her hand, "How about you stay here and help with laundry today?" On any other day, he might have agreed to it. But today, his skin felt like it was crawling under the adults' observant gazes. So he said the first thing that came to mind.

"I'll help Asta," He said as he avoided her previous questions. When it seemed like she might disagree, he quickly added, "We'll get more wood with the two of us." Sister Lily glanced over at Father Ofai as the two shared a look. Whatever silent conversation they had, Sister Lily's shoulders fell slightly in resignation after a moment.

"Okay," She agreed with a sigh, "But you have to keep together."

* * *

The leaves crunched beneath their feet as Asta and Yuno made their way through the underbrush. He could tell the other was watching him, but Yuno did his best to ignore his gaze. Instead, he fiddled with his necklace's chain or picked up twigs from the ground. The other didn't question him, and he was grateful for that. He was more than content to listen to Asta's voice fill the silence between them than the faint echoes of voices he couldn't seem to erase in his ears. Though, he couldn't help but sense another pair of eyes on them from time to time.

When they had finally gathered enough of a wood pile to satisfy the growing need for warmth with the changing of the leaves' colors, the two of them came stopped for lunch on a hilltop's clearing. Asta rummaged through the bushes and plucked some red berries from their branches. He held some out for Yuno to take as he always did, and Yuno shook his head as usual while pointedly avoiding looking at some spots of juice that had spilt onto the other's hands.

He took a bite out of the loaf Sister Lily had given him and grimaced at its hardness. He imagined this would be what it's like to eat a rock. Still, it filled his grumbling stomach that had finally settled enough to hold something. A quick glance at Asta showed the other was having his own trouble eating his bread as he squished berries on it to soften the load. A strong metallic scent assaulted his nose, and Yuno couldn't help but gag as his hands rushed to cover his mouth. He bent over slightly as he fought to keep what little lunch he had in his stomach.

"Yuno?!" Asta yelped as he abandoned his bread and leaned over to get a better look at him. But the scent followed him, and Yuno could see his palms were soaked in red. He forced his eyes shut. Normally, he could handle it. He could look away while Asta munched on his favorite snack. But his mind was falling back to his dream, and it was too much.

 _Red, red, red. He was drowning in it._

He felt Asta wrap an arm around his shoulder and tug him close. His head bumped against Asta's chest and a familiar thumping sounded in his ear. "We're alive," Asta repeated as he waited for Yuno to process his words. The metallic scent was still there, but if Yuno buried himself against Asta, he could smell the other's familiar mixture of the woods and the Church. A hand went up and down his back in a soothing circle with each cycle bringing his mind closer and closer into the present.

When he felt settled enough, he pulled away with a muttered, "Still here." Tears had once again fallen from his face, and he rubbed his eyes to rid himself of the remaining ones. Both of their lunches had been abandoned in front of them, and he couldn't find it in himself to resume eating. Instead, he focused on the small warmth that was still pressing against his back.

* * *

It was late afternoon by the time the two of them had carted the wood to the Church and ran to the market place before it could close. Yuno took the list and split it in two before handing a half to Asta. As much as he didn't want to separate from the other and deal with the whispering townsfolk or the glaring shopkeepers alone, there was no other way to complete their task before the market closed for the week.

"If anyone gives you trouble," Asta declared as he gave Yuno a thumbs up, "Let me know, and I'll have your back." His words brought a small smile to Yuno's face, and they bumped their fists together to seal the other's promise. Then Asta speed off with a determined yell that vowed trouble for any person who dared get in his way. And not for the first time, Yuno wished he could have an ounce of the other's courage. Instead, he stuck to the outer edges of the plaza to avoid the evening crowd but could still overhear their whispers.

" _Did you hear about the attack on-"_

" _-heard from the Guild that they've-"_

" _-Keep getting closer to Hage."_

" _I bet its those Fae brats that-"_

Yuno covered his ears as he quickly passed by the latest gossip. His eyes glued themselves to the cobblestone as he turned down an alleyway to avoid their burning eyes. When he had put some distance between him and the whispering townsfolk, he slowly removed his hands. His chest tightened, and he quickly brushed some of his black hair over the tips of his ears until he felt satisfied they weren't showing. He just had to turn this corner and circle back to the marketplace.

But instead, as he rounded the other entry of the alleyway to one of the main roads, he bumped into someone. "S-Sorry," He squeaked out as he backed up a couple spaces. However, when he turned his head upwards to look at who he had run into, everything in his body froze.

A too wide smile greeted him back along with red eyes that focused momentarily on his necklace before returning to Yuno's face. A chill ran down his spine as he heard the man before him laugh to himself. He wanted to run, but his body wouldn't respond. It felt as though he was being weighed by chains. The man said something, but Yuno couldn't quite process his words. His mind was racing, and he could feel himself beginning to slip away as a pale hand reached towards him.

"Found you."

* * *

 _He felt himself being lifted as the screams around him began to die. He felt like a ragdoll as he dangled before his pursuers. They appeared as shadowy monsters that grinned far too much to be natural with sharp teeth. Their red eyes pierced his soul, and he found himself unable to think much less move._

 _A hand reached out towards him, and he felt it grasp his chin. His head was tilted from side to side, and the crimson gazes all looked at him appraisingly. There might have been words being spoken around him, but to his ears, it sounded like a garbled mess. What he could hear clearly were the increasingly sounds of manic laughter that began to fill the silent air._

 _Then he felt himself being dropped suddenly. A bright beam of light engulfed him as the shadows scattered. There among the red of the world, he could see light-green eyes like the color of clovers watching him._

* * *

"-Yuno!"

Distantly, he heard someone shout his name and could see the man's hand retract. The man whipped his head towards the sound, and in the next moment, he was knocked down by the momentum of something ash-blond. Asta. Some part of Yuno wanted to move to flee, to help. But his body ignored his pleas. All he could do was watch the scene before him unfold.

"What were you doing?" Asta shouted at the man as he angled himself between the two of them. The stranger stayed at the ground in confusion as he stared at Asta with narrowed eyes. A beat of silence passed between them as the man blatantly refused to answer the other's questions. Asta glanced back slightly at Yuno and frowned when he met his gaze. Whipping his head back towards the man, the boy snapped, "What did you do to Yuno?!"

The stranger finally reacted as he hit Asta out of the way. The other crashed into a stone building with a _crash_ before bouncing off and hitting the ground. The man took a step towards Yuno, and Yuno could see Asta rise to his hands and knees while coughing. Then Asta tackled the man again, but he failed to knock the stranger off balance again. Instead, he was tossed aside again.

"Stay out of my way," The man hissed at Asta who was rising again despite the bruises forming on his face. Asta shook his head and ran at the stranger. This time, he ducked at the swiping hand and kicked the man in his knee. The man yowled before snatching the back of Asta's white tunic and throwing him against some barrels. The wood creaked upon impact. "You're testing my patience," The stranger snarled as knuckles cracked with his fingernails sharpening to claws. Something in Yuno was screaming for Asta to run.

"I'm not giving up," Asta declared as he spat out blood and possibly a tooth, "Not until you leave Yuno alone!" Then he got on feet and leaped at the man. However, the stranger swiped at the boy and caught him around the middle. Drops of blood like rain hit the cobblestone from Asta's stomach. In his mind, Yuno was pounding against the invisible barrier that was holding him prisoner. A few tears managed to escape his eyes.

Asta gritted his teeth with a choked gasp. Then he crouched down and headbutted the man in the jaw despite the blood the motion sent rolling down. The stranger growled as he grabbed Asta by the throat. He raised the struggling boy above the ground and pulled his free hand back. Yuno could see the fingers straighten into a spear formation. Yuno was screaming, begging, pleading, but not a word would past his lips.

Asta grasped at the man's hand with his own in a vain attempt to pry them from his neck. The eye that wasn't swollen glared at the man before Asta managed to spit a few speckles of blood on the stranger's face. The man's speared hand rushed forward.

Only for the stranger to drop Asta in a shriek as his back erupted into flames. The other fell to the ground in a _thump_ and gasped for air. The stranger slammed into nearest stone building in an attempt to snuff of the fire. He spun around in circles with his arms pounding wildly at his back before letting out a bloodcurdling scream as another burst of flames erupted on his back. The man ran past the two of them and down another alleyway with his cries of anger and anguish following him.

The hold on Yuno's body released, and he nearly fell forward in his desperation to get to Asta. The other hadn't moved since his fall. He was resting on his stomach, and Yuno could see a small pool of blood beginning to surround him. Sobs racked his body, and Yuno couldn't help but cry out, "Why?" A cough racked Asta's body as he spat out more blood. A hazy clover-eye looked up at him, and even though Yuno could only see part of Asta's face, he saw the corners of the other's mouth perk up. "T-Told you," Asta stated, "I got…your back."

More tears slipped down Yuno's cheeks at his words. He should have just left him. He knelt beside Asta and ignored the way his knees were beginning to get soaked. This was all his fault. Why couldn't he have moved or done _something_? Carefully, Yuno rolled Asta on his back and winced at the hiss of pain the other gave at his actions. Asta's eyes fluttered slightly as his gaze became more unfocused.

Three deep red lines oozed blood from the wounds, and Yuno could feel his heart begin to pound. He could see Asta's breathing beginning to grow fainter. His chest tightened as he pressed his hand against Asta's chest. A shuttered shook his form as he felt the heartbeat beneath his palm become weaker and weaker. No. _No_.

"Asta," Yuno choked out as he moved to shake the other's shoulders when Asta's eyes kept slipping closed. "Don't leave," he begged as he frantically looked to see if he could spot anyone. The street remained deserted. His gaze returned back down to see that Asta's eyes had closed. He shook his shoulder again, but the other didn't respond. A whimper broke through him. "Don't leave," He pleaded as his voice cracked as he grabbed his necklace so tight that his fingers turned white.

* * *

 _Everyone was gone in a sea of red. It was just him. Tears streamed down his face as he sunk to the ground. He was all alone surrounded by destruction that overtaken what had once been his home. He buried himself in his arms while sob after sob ripped their way from his throat._

 _Then a hand pressed on his shoulder, and Yuno looked up to see the man from before standing in front of him. He knelt down to his level and held out a closed hand to him. Yuno could see bits of a metal chain peeking through his fingers. When the other uncurled his fingers, he could see a blue stone with golden markings in the center of his palm._

* * *

The air crackled with the presence of something, and Yuno shielded Asta's form the best he could. He looked up to see a young man, perhaps in his late teens, with crimson hair like that of a flame standing before him. His mouth, neck, and his shoulders were covered in black binding while his chest remained open. Around his waist was black furs with a chained golden orb and a closed pouch looped around his hip. His black pants stood out much like the rest of his clothing against his pale skin. "Unless you want your friend to bite the dust," The guy said, "Move."

Yuno's eyes widened as he realized that it was the peddler he had seen Sister Lily and Father Ofai talk to occasionally. The man who made the medicine for Asta. Still, after the last encounter with a stranger, Yuno couldn't help but hesitate. The peddler grunted, clearly not in the mood to wait, as he knelt and shoved Yuno off. He fell backwards and caught himself with his arms.

"You stupid brat," Yuno heard the other hiss under his breath as he dug into his pouch to pull out a familiar looking bottle. Popping the cork, the guy picked Asta's head off the ground and kept it tilted upwards. Then he opened Asta's mouth and forced the liquid down his throat. Despite his rough handling, it was clear the other was taking care to make sure the boy didn't choke.

As Yuno watched the medicine go down Asta's throat, he could see the wounds on Asta's chest begin to stitch themselves closed. However, they didn't heal completely, and he heard the peddler snarl some foul words to himself as he tossed the now empty bottle away. Then, the guy slipped his arm under Asta's back and knees before rising. Without acknowledging Yuno and leaving him to scramble after them, the peddler turned and began walking down the street with Asta in tow.

* * *

"Xerx," Sister Lily addressed as she tried and failed to keep the tremble from her voice, "How can we repay you?" Yuno watched from the doorway as she cut the last string of gauze and tucked it into the binding on Asta's chest. Throwing her dirtied supplies into a bucket, she turned to fully address the man.

Xerx shrugged nonchalantly, and from his position, Yuno could not see his expression. "I'm running low on rice wine," He answered before his shoulders twitched ever so slightly. He waved his hand in a dismissing fashion. "On second thought," He amended, "I'll just add it your tab and collect it later." He moved to turn and said, "I just remembered I have some important business to finish up." He put his hands behind the back of his head and added, "Can't keep them waiting forever, you know?" He passed Yuno, and for a split second, their gazes met. Then he snorted and continued his pace down the hall.

Yuno waited a beat before entering the room. On the bed, Asta slept restlessly with his ragged breaths filling the space around them. Then the sound of Nash crying from down the hall reached them. Sister Lily sighed and tussled Asta's head lightly before shifting to face Yuno. "Would you watch him for me?" She asked in a cheery voice that didn't match the strain in her eyes or the fake smile that was barely plastered on her face. Not trusting his voice, Yuno nodded shakily.

She rustled his hair lightly as well before getting up to check on the other children. Yuno took her place on the chair and watched Asta's chest rise and fall for a moment. It was his weakness that almost got Asta killed. His stinging eyes drifted to his chest where three distinct red lines could be seen despite the layers of white gauze covering them. Yuno hesitated for a moment before placing his hand on over Asta's heard. The other groaned slightly at the touch but fell silent otherwise. Beneath his fingers, a weak but steady heartbeat.

* * *

 _Yuno looked at the necklace now in his hand before returning his gaze to the man before him. The other had pulled away with the light of rising dawn making his ash-blonde hair shine in almost white halo. "This is a special…charm," The other explained, "When the time is right, it'll grant you strength."_

* * *

Pulling back, Yuno grasped his necklace firmly. Between his fingers, a bluish radiance glowed. He wouldn't let himself hide behind anyone any more. He'd become strong enough that no one needed to protect him, and instead, he'd be the one to shield them. Wiping his eyes with his elbow, he vowed to Asta and to himself.

"I won't cry anymore."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Thank you all so much for your patience! Unfortunately for me, school is taking most of my time with projects' deadlines coming up. Especially since my finals week is** **right around the corner** **. I'm hoping with winter break, I'll be able to work on the story more regularly and get both part 4 out and Arc 2. I hope you all continue to enjoy the story none the less :)**


	5. Arc 1: Tender Beginnings - Part 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Clover as it belongs to its respective owner. For entertainment purposes.**

* * *

 **Tender Beginnings: Nobody's Guardian**

 _His throat burned, but it wasn't the wounds on his neck nor the bandages binding them that were turning the words on his tongue to ash. Rather it was the tears in the clouded gaze of the one before him. A voice that was as hauntingly familiar as the moon itself pleaded, "Please, I beg of you, protect him." Not for the longest time had he found the will to resist, and so there was only one answer he could give. While bandaged hands came to rest gently on either side of his muzzle, he pressed his head lightly against the other. A solemn oath came to exist between them. Finding the words to seal it, he pledged:_

" _I vow on my name, Zora Ideale, to be his guardian."_

* * *

The slightly muffled sounds of footsteps from above awoke him. His ear twitched involuntarily at the noise, and he rolled over from his side to his stomach as he lightly stretched. The leaves under him crunched in the movement, and he made a mental note to find something to replace them soon. The slight chill that came from the entry promised of a trip to the nearby farms to steal some hay. If he was lucky and a few of the feathered livestock were molting this year, he might even be able to nab some feathers.

Yawning, he stretched slightly and pressed an ear against the floorboards. The hearth above was lit, and he could feel the warmth spread against his fur. Had he been any other Fae, perhaps it would have burned him. As it was, the fire helped sooth the ache that was accumulating in his joints from the last few nights.

He could hear someone, most likely Sister Lily, stroking the fire, and then more footsteps running into the room. Judging by the pounding and speed, he could only assume Asta had rushed in to help. A secondary set of lighter footsteps followed. The other brat, Yuno, most likely. Though something was different about today if they hadn't been shooed out by the nun.

Waking up a bit more at the disturbance in the usual routine, he closed his eyes as he sent out a light pulse of magic to the runes set up within the Church. The echo that returned to him was of more humans being in the structure than usual. Confused, he opened his eyes and squinted towards the entrance of his dwelling. The light that reached deeply told him that it was past noon. Mass would have been over by now.

He tried to rack his mind to see if there was some sort of event he was forgetting again. Sending out another pulse, the reply reassured of little hostility. Which meant that a new arrival to the Church hadn't happened. As far as he knew, winter hadn't set in enough for Hage to begin its festival preparations. Then again, the smell of a large amount of food said otherwise. Pressing his ear fully against the floorboards, he could just distantly hear the voices of the occupants. Asta especially.

" _What's a 'wedding'?"_

Ah. That would explain the people and the food. As far as he could tell, it had been a few years since Hage had a wedding. The increasing presence of Fiends frightened the youthful away, and the old had too strong of roots to leave. Anyone else in Hage was too unfortunate to leave. So it was surprising that the town had mustered enough joy or whatever to have a ceremony of any kind.

Personally, it had been a while since he had witnessed a wedding. The leaves crackled beneath his paws as he dug them ever so slightly into the ground. The last one he…

" _It's a special ceremony that bonds two people together forever."_

" _Really, Sister?"_

" _Yes, it's something to treasure."_

He couldn't help the snort that came out in response to her wistful tone, but it wasn't like anyone else could hear him in his den. A special ceremony indeed. But there was a growing emptiness in his chest as, in his mind's eye, there appeared an image he couldn't shake no matter how hard he tried. A smile that didn't reach the eyes, stretched slightly thin, that moved to mouth the lie: _I'm fine_.

" _Sister, will you marry me?"_

The sudden question asked so cheerfully and determined pulled him from his thoughts. If he had hit his head because he was surprised, there was no proof and no one above would have noticed. Above him, he could hear the slight sputtering of Sister Lily and the sound of something dropping. Accepting the distraction, he listened for her reply.

" _Y-You have to love someone to marry them."_

" _I love you."_

He could barely hear her forced laughter.

" _Not that kind of love."_

And perhaps Asta had been preparing a counterargument because Sister Lily quickly followed with:  
" _Besides, Asta, I cannot marry."_

" _Why not?"_

There was a pause, and Zora's fur prickled slightly. He knew the answer that would come from the woman's lips. The tight voice that barely managed to keep a happy façade for the children confirmed this.

" _Because I am Fae._ "

The conversation was taking an all too familiar turn for his liking, so Zora looked down at his feet to check the 'time.' The light had reached the tips of his paws. The usual sign he couldn't stay in bed and listen to chatter anymore, which was fine as the words above were becoming dull to his ears No sense in sticking around to hear something he already knew as a truth of this world.

Besides, there was work to be done, especially with the cold coming. He removed his ear and moved to wiggle his way out of the small hole. If it wasn't for the fact that the old priest would notice a bigger den and chase him off the premises with a broom, he would have made it easier to maneuver in and out of. Just thinking of that made him make a mental to-do of checking the tree bark for rainbow beetles when he had time. A few in the priest's pillow would make him feel better about his living situation.

The bush that greeted him had not gotten less annoying to get into than it had been to enter the first time. But it hid his home, and so he forced himself to deal with the briar and thorns. At least by now he had worn down a path in its interior so he spent less of his afternoon picking burrs out of his fur as he went along. Luck continued to favor him as he could not detect any life directly outside of the bush that would give him trouble.

As he exited the foliage, he shook his fur to scatter the thorns that were not yet lodged in his side. A few bones creaked, but the ache and stiffness remained. But he had to go deeper into the woods to sort those out. A downside to living on mortal premises. His nose twitched, and the smell of rice stew was drawn in. An upside to living on mortal premises.

While his current size would not allow him to just peek in the window, the wood stacked neatly against the church's back wall would. For that he had to give Yuno some credit. If Asta had been in charge, he wouldn't have a perch, rather he'd have a wooden mine field to worry about when stepping outside. Carefully, he climbed the logs as his paws tested their stability slowly.

A bowl of rice stew sat waiting on the window's ledge, and, while he would have liked to eat then and there, instincts told him to check his surroundings as usual. With a quick pulse, the runes inside the structure whispered back that Sister Lily and the two brats had left for the chapel area. The woman was probably looking for Father Ofai to assign the children tasks to keep them out of her hair. Which meant that he had a quick window to eat the offering and go.

Moving to the wooden frame of the windowsill, he bent his head and began to eat the stew. While he had better in his days as the rice was a bit stale with the potato chunks helping the flavor only a little bit, the grub settled the growling in his gut enough so he didn't have to focus on finding a meal first thing in the day. Perhaps that is why Sister Lily did it, but he wouldn't acknowledge that fact the same way she would not acknowledge why the bowl was empty upon returning. This arrangement was strictly based on assumptions and gut feelings. If they were to ever speak of it when he officially came to visit, the words were sure to turn to poison and kill the coexistence they had achieved.

He smacked his lips together as he polished off the last of the stew in a large gulp. A giggling resounded near him as his ears flattened automatically. He snapped his head in the direction of the sound with his mouth half-forming a snarl on pure instinct. But the only thing that greeted him was a pair of brown eyes that lit up the face of a bobbing head of black hair. His ears returned to their original position as he took in the mortal before him. Aruru.

Looking around, he couldn't help but wonder how the little girl had gotten the jump on him. She certainly wasn't there when he did a sweep of the room, and she was far too small yet to open doors. Not that he heard that sound either. That left just one option. One he didn't want to deal with. He sent out a pulse to check on other inhabitants' whereabouts.

As he did, it seemed to set Aruru off as the little girl sneezed and blinked out of vision for a quick second. She reappeared a moment later above him, and he huffed at the sudden weight hitting his back. Brat #5 didn't seem to care about the sudden change in height nor how she got there. She merely babbled while pulling at bits of his fur. Fantastic.

He contemplated throwing her off, but that would only lead to the mortal screaming and announcing his presence to everyone. His eyes swept the kitchen as a hand tugged curiously on his ear. If it wasn't for the utensils laying about with the fire burning just a few feet from the window, he would have deposited her back on the floor and left. And since the runes answered his call, it appeared everyone else was caught up preparing the chapel. Which left him and the brat all alone since, apparently, he hadn't done enough babysitting already in his lifetime.

His two longer tails came to curl around her belly, which only served to delight the little hellion as she gave out a squeal of joy near his ear and moved to tug at the fur surrounding her. She left out a gasp of surprise that turned into more babbling as he jumped off the windowsill and into the Church. The smell of food engulfed his senses more so than it did at the open window. It was the sensation of a rumbling stomach on his back that made things click in his mind.

The sudden loss of weight was confirmation, and he found himself having to hastily shift into his accursed two-legged form and nab the child before she fell into the cooking pot in the hearth. Unconsciously, he found himself checking her for burns before shaking his head with a frown. She was fine if she was giggling as much as she was. That made one of them having fun.

She remained undisturbed by the stranger holding her or at the sudden loss of a furred creature. Perhaps she subconsciously recognized him. Most Fae and Halfling children were able to, on some level or another, detect his Mana. But his waves could easily be dismissed as fluctuations in the air with the shifting of the sun. Unless she was a higher blessed Faeling, which he doubted, this sensitivity would fade in the coming weeks. Just as it had for the other brats and their awakenings. Though he could never tell with Yuno, as that child had long been in tuned with Mana before he had come here. Asta was a different story entirely.

Adjusting his grip on the Halfling, he moved towards the pantry and opened the door. He ignored the gnawing feeling clawing at his chest when the nearly barren space greeted him. He could see a couple stacks of potatoes and some sacks of flour. Taking a peek at his temporary charge, he closed the door. There was nothing there a brat with barely ten teeth could eat.

He glanced back at the feast being cooked behind him. Whoever was getting married wouldn't miss a helping or two. The pot and its contents were much too hot, but there were some cold dishes ready to be served. Mashed potatoes, some roasted venison, baked bread, vegetables tossed up into a salad of some sort, a large slice of cheese, pudding, cake… All things he had not seen in the Church in a while.

"What do you want?" He asked as he held Aruru towards the array of food, "Everything's yours for the taking." He doubted she understood him, but she did seem rather pleased at the display before her as she made a grabbing motion at the mashed potatoes. He couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Could have anything," He muttered as he looked for a spoon and a plate in the cabinets above the creations, "And you want more potatoes."

He propped her on his hips with one arm as he dished out a small helping of potatoes before moving back towards the windowsill. He moved the empty bowl to the side, and then closed and locked the glass panels. He then placed Aruru on the frame with enough confidence that he could catch her should she pitch forward and that the window was strong enough to support her should she pitch backwards.

Methodically, he began to feed the little brat as he grumbled half-heartedly to himself a string of complaints mixed with curses. Aruru still had yet to speak a clear word so it wasn't like she could say she saw him or parrot back what he was muttering. Though it was a slight worry that she could choke. Only because it would lead to a nuisance of an event. Not because he was _actually_ concerned about the whelp and her wellbeing. Nope. Not the case. Still, she wasn't dying despite the fact it had been a while since he had last had to do this, and that was something to be a little proud of. At least, he thought it had been a while. Time, at least the Mortal definition, wasn't a concept he typically dabbled in.

When Aruru was finished, he put the empty bowl and the spoon in the other dish and picked her up off the window. Spotting a cloth near the sink, he cleaned her face off while she squirmed slightly and scrunched her face. Throwing the rag in the sink, he walked to the door and was tempted to send out a light pulse. But since Aruru might blink out of his arms and land who knows where to cause a disaster, he resisted. Instead, he shifted just enough to have his true ears pop out.

Aruru grabbed at them, but he held her away while resisting the urge to flick an ear in annoyance. Prior experience told him that the movement would only strengthen her interest. Pressing an ear against the door, he tuned out Aruru's garbling at him and the hissing of the fire. No footsteps nearby, though the distant chatter from the chapel was filtering through. Brat #3 and Brat #4 were helping out if the occasional sound fragment had anything to say about it. Satisfied that there was no one in the hallway, he shifted his ears back and opened the door.

Adjusting his grip on Aruru as he closed the door, he watched as the little girl began to yawn. Good, so he wouldn't have any trouble laying her down for a nap. Like she probably was supposed to be doing in the first place. Walking down the hall, he opened the door to the children's room.

Well, that explained where Brat #6 was. Near the large bed that was in the center of the room, on the small table, was a tiny, blond child sleeping peacefully in an old woven basket. So long as he didn't cause any particularly loud noises, Hollo would stay that way. Seeing no other basket available, he could only assume Aruru had graduated to sleeping on the bed like all the other children.

After placing Aruru down and making sure she wouldn't die from the position, he walked over to the window to peer out. "Shit," He cursed under his breath when he saw the forms of Father Ofai and what he could only assume were other Hunters. Dammit, the wedding. Of course, the Guild would send some Hunters to help guard the Church. His hair prickled up slightly as he snapped away from the window. He'd have to circle to the other side of the house and hope no one was guarding it.

"Shit!" A cheery voice babbled out as the sudden distraction snapped him from his thoughts. He looked towards Aruru who was beaming up at him brightly. Then to confirm it was indeed her who said it, she repeated it louder and giggled afterward. A quick glance at Hollo showed that her voice hadn't disturbed him. The adrenaline building in his veins ceased for a moment, and he couldn't help but let out a cross between a sigh and a snort. Keeping the window in his corner of his eye, he walked back to the bed and ruffled her head lightly.

"Yup," He agreed, "A lot of shit and dipshits I have to deal with."

"Shit!"

Aruru reached her small hands out and grasped his own hand atop her head. She seemed pleased at his reaction, and he wished he had time to watch Sister Lily's and Father Ofai's reactions. But he was running behind schedule now, and the last time he had done that wasn't pretty. Oh, well. Maybe if he had the time later, he'd teach her another word and watch their reaction then. Pulling his hand away, she yawned one last time before closing her eyes and falling asleep. Finally. He didn't have to worry about her blinking after him for now. Later on, if she spotted him and wanted to, she might. That's how children of Wisps were anyhow.

* * *

It had taken him a little longer then he would have liked to exit the Church and get into the woods. But the smell of nature had him perking up a bit, so by the time he came to the clearing atop the hill, he could say he was in a vaguely good mood despite the delays. Perhaps it was the fact that he could shift back into his true form without having to constrain it, or that he wouldn't risk running into random townsfolk of Hage with the ceremony going on. Either way, he stretched his limbs out one by one as they transformed and grew. The aches in his spine disappeared and the stiffness in his limbs faded away as he shook his fur out. His to-do list reappeared in his mind as he prepared himself for the rest of his routine.

Shuffling towards the edge of the clearing, he first checked on the Devil's Eye bush. Most of the berries had been plucked by now. It wasn't surprising as Asta had been placed on firewood duty more often as of late. But there were still a couple weeks until the cold truly set in, so seeing its supplies diminished so was not the best of signs. Not to mention, the brat was still growing. Come the thawing of the world, he'd have to plant a second one here. With luck, it would sprout like this one had. He turned his attention to the tree growing next to the plant.

He hopped on his hind-legs and stretched to reach the middle of its trunk. In the cavity of the tree, wedged just enough inside of the bark, he could see his rune stone. Outwardly, he could see no cracks in the rock, and, when he pressed his nose against it, the Mana he had implanted in it still swirled. Pulling back, he sent a light pulse to it. The emblem lit up a pale red before fading away. Good. He wouldn't have to replace it. On to the next one.

* * *

A breeze ruffled his fur as he raced and weaved above the undergrowth and fallen trees. While it might have been easier to get around if he constricted his form back to a smaller size, he needed to cover more grounds to make up for lost time. But experience made up for his grander form, and his paws found familiar trails he had carved out as a testament to his time among these trees. Whether it was jumping from fallen log to fallen log to avoid the roots of their standing brethren or knowing which paths down to the dips and valleys of the hills were more stable than others. And where the river met the winding streams of the hills and what spots were safe to cross.

The sun was in the middle of its descent down when Zora came across his final rune stone in the shallowest part of the riverbed. Unlike its nineteenth siblings, the emblem he had placed upon it did not heed his call. The Mana swirling in its center was dimming and would flicker out before long. This location always burnt out faster than the others due to his poor Mana affinity with the main element this area boasted.

With a sigh, he dug the rock out from among the other stones with his paw. Picking it up with one of his longer tails, he coiled the appendage around the object as he dried his foot with a short burst of his Mana. Once it was secure and his foot no longer dripped, he dipped his head for a moment to catch a drink of water. Then he backed up a few spaces before springing out. His feet caught on the stones jutting out of the river, and with practiced grace and stable footing, he hopped across to the other shore.

* * *

There was a reason Hage could summon guards despite being little more than an outpost town in its kingdom. The secret the hills and the forest overlooked, but the farms and plains never forgot. Even though the light of day shone on his back, Zora couldn't suppress the shiver going down his spine whenever he gazed upon it himself. After all, it was a place that seemed to extinguish the light itself, where Mana trembled frantic and scarce. Even if at first glance, it didn't seem like it.

In the shadows of the hills and just past the fields' reach, crumbling columns and crushed rock lay about an empty landscape. No rivers ran through it. No life dared to go near it. Nature itself had all but forsaken it, save for the purpose of his visit. At one point, it might have been a kingdom of its own. But time had been cruel, and the crater that the site rested in suggested a horrible end to whatever existence used to reside here.

A place so soaked in wrath and sorrow that Zora swore he could feel the residual energy of the battle that destroyed this land beneath his feet. Perhaps the Devil's Eye could too, and why the only thing willing to grow here was such. With a grimace, he made his way further into the ruins.

He had plucked all the outer and middle Devil's Eye throughout the year, which left only the inner ring available to harvest. His instincts screamed as usual to leave, but his stubbornness kept him grounded even while the fur on his back stood up subconsciously. His ears perked and twitched vigilantly despite there being no sound. Or it was _because_ there was no sound that everything in him was on high-alert. Though, logically, he knew there was nothing in the ruins with him, for no one else dared to enter, there was still the sensation of _something_ in the air.

As he made his way to the center of the ruins where the cluster of Devil's Eye was thickest, his movement slowed to a sluggish pace. The ominous air pressed against him heavily as his chest began to constrict. If it wasn't for the fact that it was indeed still day outside of the ruins, he would have surely collapsed.

Still, he forged on until he came across the altar. Or what appeared like an altar of some sort. In the center of the pyramid of crushed stone was a large broadsword encased in Devil's Eye briar, where only bits of the sword and its handle peered out. And as he approached it, Zora couldn't help but think that the curse upon the land was coming from the entangled weapon. The very aura around it screamed its displeasure at his presence. All the more reason to quickly pluck a bush or two and leave.

His ears flatten themselves against the top of his head as he ducked down and snapped two bushes just above their roots. By the time he needed to visit this accursed place next year, they would have regrown and regained their sprouts. As he turned to leave, his blood froze as a breeze brushed his ears. For a moment and only a moment, someone whispered to him:

" _You cannot change what is fated to be."_

" _The war is inevitable."_

* * *

His heart beat quickly in his chest and adrenaline roared in his blood as he raced through the trees in determination to put distance between himself and the ruins. When he finally did slow down enough to catch his breath, he couldn't help but snap his head back towards the direction he came. Though it was no longer in sight, his fur still stayed prickled as his body's flight or fight response refused to back down entirely. Sometimes he truly hated that place with every fiber of his being.

* * *

His feet met the stone of a familiar cave as the sun began its final phase of the day. Though part of him wanted to flop on the floor and nap, he had already lost too much time for such a luxury. Depositing the Devil's Eye on the ground where he had carved out the array for flames, he walked towards the back of the structure and grabbed one of the empty bottles sitting upon a broken stalagmite. Using the sharp corner, he pricked his paw before returning to the ring of runes. Setting the bottle down by his feet, he stepped on the outer ring of the array. Mana swirled forth as flames consumed the briar surrounding the fruit and turned the thorns to ash.

* * *

" _Zora, thank you but I cannot drink of your blood."_

" _Why not?"_

" _Because you are Fae. And I…am not."_

" _You could drink of Mortal blood though, right?"_

" _If I drank of your blood, I would certainly burn. The Blessing of Mana is not as strong with Mortals as it is with beings like you."_

" _You say that, and yet you refuse to do so."_

" _I am fine. These berries can sustain me for the most part."_

" _But not enough! At this rate…"_

" _Zora…"_

" _No. Your stubbornness will get you killed. Get_ both _of you killed._ "

"… _Fine. You win. Perhaps…if we mixed the berries with your blood, it would dilute the Blessing enough to quench the 'thirst.'"_

* * *

After crushing the berries into the bottle, he looked towards the entrance of the cave. The sun was beginning to disappear on the horizon. Already, he could feel its protective waves fading and his own Mana diminishing. If he remembered right, the brat still had two bottles in the Church. He could afford to wait and finish creating the batch tomorrow when the sun was yet in the sky. Adding the final ingredient now meant having to deal with a wound until morning. That was not an option as of late.

Returning to the still smoldering ashes of the Devil's Eye, he brought forth his dimmed rune stone. Throwing the stone into the pile of dying embers with a flick of his tail, he watched as the faded emblem glowed slightly as it resonated with what was left of his Mana. It wasn't a permanent solution, and he would definitely have to redo it come tomorrow when the sun was high and he could create a fire more akin to foxfire. Still, it would be good enough to last the approaching night.

* * *

The first star of the night had appeared when Zora was on his way back to the hills near the Church. A signal for the true 'fun' of the day to start. And indeed it did with a bang.

A rune stone nearby sent out a pulse just quick enough for him to stop in his tracks and throw himself down to the forest ground. He felt a _whoosh_ of air barely graze the tips of his fur before a resounding _thump_ hit the tree trunk next to him. He quickly rolled his body away from the noise to avoid the spray of tree fragments. His body ducked and pivoted automatically towards the source so hard and fast that bits of ground were stirred into the air. His fur stood up while his ears snapped back. A snarl grew in his throat and hissed out between his bared teeth.

"The rumors hold true, it seems," A voice full of irritation and a touch away from madness laughed out. The gangly figure pulled out its lodged hand in another hail of splinters as its feet remained gripping the trunk for support. Thin, black hair framed a sunken face and obscured most features of the upper portion of its head. "But that would mean, unfortunately, that only one of my objectives is here," It pouted as it morphed its claw back into a hand and stretched its digits out with a _pop_. Large canines poked down from the upper lip. A red eye focused on him from beyond the veil of hair. "Isn't that right?" It asked in a tone that suggested it already knew the answer. _Dammit_.

When Zora answered in a warning growl that promised a coming demise rather than words, the creature grinned so wide that Zora could see all of its disgusting, pointed teeth. "Not much of a talker, are you _mutt?_ " It jeered in a slow tone mixed with poison that burned at his patience.

"I make a habit of not talking to walking corpses."

Its eyes widened before narrowing. He could see its body crouch ever so slightly more into a springing position. Impossibly, the grin grew wider while its eye swept over his form. He refused to move and give the beast the satisfaction of unnerving him.

"We'll see about that."

That was all the warning he got before the creature launched itself at him. Zora quickly jerked away as the nails of the creatures scratched the side of his muzzle. He could feel the sting of the flesh wound and the smell of copper in his nose. Shit. This thing had speed.

He spun towards the beast once more while doing his best to overcome the initial stumble the attack had caused. To his utter disgust, he watched as the creature licked its nails. It hissed in anger, and he could see a faint puff of steam come from its mouth. Its eye turned to him again, and its hand shifted back into a single claw with a _crack._

It rushed him, and Zora condensed himself just enough that the beast's leap was over him. In the split second that it was above him, he expanded back to his true size and head-bashed its gut. The creature let out a shriek that made his ears ring. It slammed into a tree trunk with a crunching sound. He was sure the noise wasn't only the tree bark splitting from impact.

He rushed the creature with his fangs bared in the intent to crush its neck. However, the beast managed to free itself in a shower of splinters that hit Zora in the face. In the moment it took him to shake his head and remove the wooden fragments, the thing was on top of him.

His back burned as he felt it tear into his flesh. He bit back the yelp in his throat as he reared back and slammed into another tree in hopes of crushing it. He could feel it squish between him and the wood, but it seemed to only be pissed off more as it bit into his shoulder. Zora slammed into the ground and finally was triumphant in getting the beast off of him.

He rolled and hastily jumped back onto his feet. His breath was coming faster now as his body shrieked at the lack of Mana he had to close the wounds. Meanwhile, he watched as the lighter scratches and bruises on his opponents faded in the pale moonlight. Zora couldn't help but grit his teeth and growl at the sight while it smiled at him smugly. If he had just a few more tails, he could have scorched the creature then and there. Or maybe even have enough of a Mana supply to heal his own burning wounds himself. But it was true that this was beginning to be a losing battle. At this rate, he'd bleed out long before his opponent did. Time to change tactics.

Turning around sharply, his heart thumped wildly in his chest as he tore through the trees. His feet found familiar trails automatically as he weaved his way into the thicker areas. He could hear the beast crash into a tree behind him, and Zora quickly pivoted into the deeper underbrush. A shriek of frustration resounded in the distance, and he could only hope that it was getting tangled in the bushes and roots long enough to buy him the few precious seconds he needed. A pulse of Mana answered his plea to his left, and he shifted his path towards it. Now if he could only remember…

A force slammed into his side and sent both of them spiraling to the ground in a whirlwind of teeth and claws. He wasn't sure if he had managed to land a few blows or not, but the stinging in his forelegs told him that either it, or some low-hanging branches, had managed a few good scratches of their own. The spinning finally stopped when he slammed into the base of a trunk that made the wounds on his back _ache_. Before he could react, a weight pressed into his side that knocked all the air from his lungs and successfully pinned him in his state. A hand reached around his throat and nearly cut off the breath that was slowly returning to him. From the corner of his eye, he could see it pinching a deathly familiar white orb between two fingers in its other hand. Shit. Shit. _Shit_.

"As much fun as this has been, I think it's time we wrap this up."

The hand dug into his throat and agitated old wounds. Was this how he was going to die?

"I just have a couple questions for you. If you answer them, I'll grant you a painless death."

Zora managed a snarl of refusal before it was choked out.

"So be it. Have it your way."

What a sorry state he was in if this was all that it took to take him down. After all this time, these woods would be his grave. His chest burned at the lack of air, and his head swarmed at the lack of blood. As darkness began to cover his vision, a single light appeared in the corners of his mind.

" _Please, I beg of you, protect him."_

With what little strength he had, he sent out a dying pulse. A flicker to the right of his hind leg answered back. That was all he needed.

" _I vow on my name, Zora Ideale, to be his guardian."_

Before the beast could crush his hoshi no tama, it dropped it and drew back screaming as flames licked its backside from the hidden array. As it moved to jump away, Zora summoned all the adrenaline-fueled power he had in his possession to tackle the creature into the flames. It continued to shriek in anguish beneath his paws as he pressed his full body weight to keep it pinned. The flames burned away at the beast to the point that not even the Blessing of Ki could heal it. As it turned to ash, Zora hissed out:

"I told you before that I didn't talk to walking corpses."

* * *

It was going to be a long night. He could feel it when he knocked on the Church's door. The moon was halfway to the peak of its path, and already he was reduced to using this measure. The wooden oak doors to the chapel creaked open just enough for the light of a lantern to hit his eyes. It made him squint, but, despite the bright rays, he could make out the blue blur that was Sister Lily.

"Xerx!" She called out in concern as she opened the door fully and ushered him inside. She sat him down on the closest pew as she fussed over his wounds. She placed the lantern on the floor, and as she opened her mouth to speak, Zora shoved a familiar bottle in her hand. She paused and held it in the light.

"Finished a batch early and figured I'd come by and deliver it," He said instead of an answer to her true question. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly with the furrowing of her brow and the flattening of her lips. Keeping as nonchalant as he could, he ignored the burn of his shoulders as he shrugged. "I've been pretty busy as of late," He added, "So who knows when I'll have the time to make another bottle."

Sister Lily opened her mouth but closed it a second later. Instead, she grabbed the lantern once more. The worry never left her eyes, even as she turned to make her way towards the living area of the Church. "I'll be right back," She called out softly as she exited the chapel. Zora leaned back with a wince. Idlily, he wondered if he was staining the wood. What he wouldn't give to see Father Ofai's face if that was the case. He could imagine the townsfolk avoiding this aisle like the plague.

He strummed his fingers against his thigh for nothing if just something to keep him conscious. Despite himself, he couldn't help but sent out a light pulse to the Church runes. The echo whispered back of Sister Lily grabbing her medical supplies, of Father Ofai resting in his room, of the children sleeping in their bed. His eyebrow rose for a moment at the last message as his nerves relaxed. They all were sleeping in their usual positions save one. Yuno had relocated towards the edge of the bed this evening rather than his usual spot near Asta. Perhaps the two of them had gotten into a fight today?

The light flickered back through the doorway, and a moment later, Sister Lily returned with her kit by her side. She sat next to him, and Zora could tell by her still furrowed brow that she wasn't giving up on their previous interaction. So he did a quick sweep around the room and saw an opportunity for a much needed distraction.

"Nice decorations. Did I miss a party?"

She startled slightly while her fingers paused in readying a needle and thread. Her gaze went towards the display of flowers and ribbons that still covered the chapel walls and windows. Her eyes clouded in an emotion that Zora could only partially understand before she snapped her attention to his shoulder. Muttering an apology under her breath, she began to clean the wound as Zora gritted his teeth.

"There was a wedding for the farmer's daughter and her betrothed today," Sister Lily explained as she pressed a little too hard on his shoulder. Maybe that was on purpose. Grabbing her thread, she clarified even though Zora didn't care who got married, "The one who lives near Swallow Creek." Zora clenched his hand in a fist as she began to stitch the bite mark on his shoulder. "You should have been there," She said lightly in a tone that could almost be called whimsical, "Father Ofai gave a lovely sermon." It took all his willpower, in the moment, not to roll his eyes.

"Shame I missed it. Sounds _great_."

"It was," Sister Lily agreed while ignoring his sarcasm, "It's nice to celebrate something joyous instead of the usual…" Her words slowed to a stop. Then she shrugged with a sigh as she briefly looked out the window towards the cemetery just beyond the gaze of the glass. Making a knot, she cut the string and gave his shoulder another patting with the now scarlet cloth.

Without a word, he turned so his back was to her. To keep the conversation going and to avoid diverging, he asked through a slightly strained tone as she began to clean his back, "And what did the brats think of it? It's the first time they've seen one, right?" Sister Lily chuckled from behind him as she swatted his back lightly at his 'brats' remark. He forced himself not to flinch.

"Recca loved it," She hummed, "She was pleased that everyone loved the flowers she helped grow." Brat #3 was getting better with her Mana then. Last he paid attention, she could barely make a dandelion bloom much less sprout. "Nash said he couldn't care less," Sister Lily continued as she cleaned his other shoulder, "But I could see the light in his eyes." Sounded like Brat #4 to deny something he so clearly was fascinated in. That child had always been more aware of how the world worked, but childish innocence kept the heart yearning anyway. "Hollo slept most of the day, thankfully," She said, and his ears twitched at her distant tone her voice took whenever she focused on threading the needle. "And, Aruru," She started before pausing. Clearing her throat, she restarted and said slowly, "Aruru…started talking…today." A grin made its way on his lips at the discomfort her sentence portrayed.

"Did she now?" He asked in his best voice of innocent curiosity, "Today truly is a day of blessings." It was worth the slight tugging of his skin when Sister Lily stiffly began to close the wounds. If it didn't mess up the stitching, he would have turned his head towards her to see her expression. Though with the embarrassment filtering in her words, it was an easy guess to what face she was making.

"Ah, yes," She said through forced laughter, "Aruru…blessed the groom and bride."

"I bet Father Ofai was so proud," He commented while unable to keep the smallest bit of mirth from his voice. He then winced at the hard stitch that was made in response. Though he probably deserved that to a certain extent.

"Uh-huh, we're trying to figure out where she learned such a…complex…vocabulary from."

"Any ideas?"

"A few. I have some suspicion of one in particular," She quipped as the snipping of thread sounded behind him. Zora turned back around, and she frowned as she gazed at his face. Half twisting to the side, she dug in her bag and pulled out a roll of gauze. Motioning with her hands, Zora obediently held up his injured arm just enough for her to get the cloth around it.

He could see the determination forming in her eyes. Just as determined, Zora grasped for anything that would keep the topic on hand. Hell, he'd even listen to her go on about Father Ofai. His mind whirled, and he quickly blurted out, "What did Asta and Yuno think of it?"

"Asta, he…uh," She hesitated as she moved Zora's arm up and down to make sure her binding didn't constrict his movement. For a few moments, there was only the sound of them breathing as she bit her lip slightly. Finally, she cut the gauze and worked to secure it as she said in a controlled tone, "Asta was very enthusiastic about the idea." She laughed with a chuckle that sounded anything but joyous. "He even asked me to marry him," She murmured as her eyes drifted towards the door that separated the chapel from the living quarters. Zora knew it was not of the children she was seeing, and the distance in her gaze suggested she was seeing a time and place that only she and one other person knew.

It certainly wasn't the prick of what some might call sympathy in his chest that spurred him to shift the gears of their conversation slightly. "And Yuno?" He questioned only for the sake of dragging her back into the present. Sister Lily blinked before leaning over to begin wrapping the gauze around his chest.

"I think Yuno would have liked it had he attended," She replied, and that did genuinely get Zora's attention for one reason. She paused in her wrapping to gesture at him once again. At the request, he hunched his back enough for her to reach around him. "This afternoon, he insisted going to help out the Browne's ranch," Sister Lily continued before sighing while he obeyed her request. "Which of course meant that Asta went to help out at the Browne's ranch too," she muttered as she reached around Zora. Her tone hinted that she was leaving out some details.

"Did they get into a fight?" Zora inquired as he straightened and turned towards her, so she could wrap around his shoulders easier. Sister Lily let out a huff of air.

"Kind of," She admitted as she continued her work, "They've certainly been butting heads more as of late." Her hands slowed to a stall. "I mean," She murmured more to herself than to Zora, "I'm happy Yuno's going out more and all…" Her shoulders heaved a heavy sigh. "But he's less open than he used to be," She muttered as she bit her lip slightly, "And it's hard for any of us to get a read on what he's thinking or feeling." Shaking her head, she began to wrap his chest once more and finished with, "I don't even think _he_ realizes what he's feeling half the time."

A moment of silence passed between them before she cut the gauze and began work to secure it. "Though today, I think I have a pretty good idea on what made Yuno upset this afternoon," She said louder to imply that she was inferring to Zora's original question. Pulling away, she added, "They'll be fine with each other before you know it." Packing her supplies in her kit, she concluded quietly, "Yuno probably didn't even realize why he reacted that way to Asta's words." That was all Zora needed to hear. Standing up, he left the bottle on the pew and started for the exit.

"Xerx."

Her voice caused him to stop even though he wanted to walk right through the doors. Turning back towards her, he watched as Sister Lily stood up. She did a quick glance of the surrounding area, especially towards the windows, before walking up to him and placing a hand over his heart. Zora twitched as he felt some of her Mana flow into him while her hand lit up in a light bluish glow.

"The back will still scar," She whispered as her earlier concern returned to her eyes, "But it should help." Zora nodded his thanks stiffly while she pulled away. He shifted to leave, but her hand caught his upper arm gently. His head turned to look at her over his shoulder. So much for a partnership based on assumptions and gut feelings. "You can't keep doing this," She said flatly, "You'll get yourself killed."

For a moment, her hair grew longer and turned to a silvery blonde, and her eyes began to get a deeper, more violet hue. Before her face could fully morph into a phantom from his mind, he broke eye contact and tugged his arm free. Damn the loss of blood or that stubborn nature of hers that he was sure was Asta's fault as of late. He didn't need to be reminded of the past right now. He took a couple steps towards the one of the doors and said loud enough for her to hear, "I'll manage."

"I could talk to Father Ofai. Maybe get some more patrols to –"

"And worry about bullets along with bites? Or worse? I'll pass."

He could feel her eyes on his back. She must have been trying to tell what furs around his waist were his real tails. Or perhaps she had seen him when he wasn't disguising their amount. That was the only reason he could think of that prompted her next words to be so sincere.

"You're too young for such a burden."

He had been 'too young' for a lot of things. But he tried to force his mind away from unwanted memories of those particular times and places. Despite his efforts, he could smell the ghost of gunpowder in his nose and the distant sound of a blast ringing in his ears. It seemed tonight would be full of specters of events he didn't want to dwell on. Fantastic.

Still, he paused at the handle of the door as his mind unhelpfully brought up the close call earlier. While he would never admit this to Sister Lily, nor to anyone else, a part of him doubted he could keep this up for much longer. If his opponent had been smarter, less mad, it would have aimed for his hoshi no tama right away. Or perhaps it had, and the wounds it had created were a way to drain his resistance at the fact. His hand rested against the amulet on his side unconsciously.

There was no time left to ponder the battle. In the distance, he could feel one of his rune stones pulse out a warning. No rest for the wicked. Today wasn't his day. His hand turned the handle halfway as he mentally prepared himself for the next encounter before stopping.

" _Please, I beg of you, protect him."_

Would he ever stop hearing that phrase? That voice? That scene?

" _You'll get yourself killed."_

Was it his mind's way of telling him that he was doing something stupid? Something that would break his vow? What he wouldn't give to know the answer. Yet, he swallowed the lump turning in his throat and turned his head to look at Sister Lily over his shoulder. The words felt like acid on his tongue as he choked them out.

"On second thought, a few more guardsmen around town might not be the stupidest suggestion."

He could see her perk up in surprise before nodding. She opened her mouth, perhaps to give him some dumb reassurance on how they wouldn't aim at him, but Zora knew first-hand how naïve that assumption was. They didn't all have priests who would vouch for them and guard them.

Instead, he beat her to the punch and continued talking before she could get a word in. The next part made his chest constrict just at the thought, yet he forged on. It wasn't his fate he needed to be concerned the most about.

"Asta…wouldn't be such a useless brat if he joined the Guild."

An afterthought. A quick memory of the time in an empty street where if he had been just a bit slower…He could have lost everything he had vowed to protect.

"That other brat, Yuno, might benefit from that too."

Sister Lily's eyes widened, but she bit her lip and nodded. She straightened her shoulders and looked him in the eye. "I'll…see what Father Ofai can do about that," She promised, and Zora could trust her to keep her word. As he turned his head back towards the door, she called out. "Xerx," She asked, "You're still going out there tonight?" Though she didn't voice it, her tone implied the last part of her sentence. _Back towards hell?_

"You have your personal oath," He replied as he gestured towards the back of the Church, where a specific individual lay. He knew she got what he meant. He didn't need to turn around to guess she was touching the beauty mark on her cheek, the Mana spot that gave her Mortal form, at his remark. His hand returned to his side as he opened the door. "And I have mine," He finished quietly as he returned to tonight's inferno. What a pair of foolish Fae were they.

A rune stone closer pulsed out a warning. Right. This time around, traps first. Brawl later. His gaze flickered up into the sky. The moon still hadn't yet reached the peak of its path. He wondered if the God of Ki was mocking him. His back ached as he let out a deep sigh.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Happy New Year! Thank you all for your continued patience, and for the good luck on my finals! This concludes the prologue arc of Clover Graves. Up next will be the interlude 'Crimson Vow' and Arc 2: Childhood's End. Between arcs, I plan to write interludes to give different characters' viewpoints on events than the three protagonists' own. They will help build up the next arc but not necessarily happen linearly with said arc's events. The first interlude will be from Sister Lily's prospective on Asta and Yuno joining the Guild.** **As always, thank you very much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the latest installment!**

 **Fun-Facts:**

 **Though not apparent in this chapter, Sister Lily is a naiad whose human form is the result of a spell being placed upon her. The mark of the spell is the beauty mark on her cheek. As to why she is in Mortal form and why she is unable to marry, it may be revealed later on as the plot progresses...**

 **According to the research I came across at on kitsunes, a kitsune grows a full tail every hundred years until they have nine. The more tails they have, the more powers they have in creating foxfire, shapeshifting, etc. In Clover Graves, Zora barely has over two tails. Making him old to us, but young in terms of his full lifespan. For the most part, he has spent a lot of time practicing shape-shifting but not so much foxfire. Thus he has rely on arrays and traps as his main source of attacking. Shape-shifting into a smaller fox or a human generally makes him feel constrained as he has to compress his true mass. Despite this, he will always choose to shift into a smaller fox over a human when given a choice. He has personal reasons for disliking shifting into a human form. His true form is a fox that stands about to Father Ofai's chest level when standing on all fours. That's why he has to go deep in the woods to go back into his original size since its hard to hide a big red figure in the forest.**

 **A Hoshi no Tamas is a small ball or jewal that looks like a pearl. No matter what form a kitsune takes, it must wear it. That it is because the orb contains its soul, and without it, the kitsune will grow powerless and die. In human form, kitsunes usually wear them as amulets. In fox form, the carry it in mouths or fasten them to their tails. Zora typically keeps his fastened to his third, shorter tail that he hides using his two longer tails. When he's walking about or attacking, he keeps his tails together to create the illusion of one large tail. This is more in defense than anything else so his opponents don't realize how young he actually is. When he's in human form, he changes its color and shape to a golden amulet that he keeps clipped to his side.**

 **No matter how skilled a kitsune is at shapeshifting, their bottlebrush tail will still appear in human form. That is why Zora's disguise has furs wrapped around his waist to help disguise it. Despite this, he is careful around curious children since he will transform back into a fox if his real tails are pulled.**

 **Since kitsunes like rice and Canon Zora likes stew, Clover Graves's Zora's favorite food is rice stew.**

 **If any of you have questions on the story or world, feel free to ask! I'll try my best to answer with as little spoilers to the plot of Clover Graves as possible, haha**


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